National Advocacy Conference 2025
sponsored by
Mon October 13th 2025 - in person
Get ready for an incredible experience at the 2025 conference, being held at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham. Join us for an action-packed day filled with fascinating talks, amazing networking opportunities and a chance to indulge in all the good stuff! Don't miss out on the excitement!
In addition to the in person event, there are also a number of online sessions running throughout the week - you can learn more about these sessions here.
9.00am - Doors open for welcome drinks and a chance to catch up with friends and colleagues.
10.00am - from your chair and sponsor, Irwin Mitchell.
10.10am- Dudley Voices for Choice, a user-led charitable organization supporting individuals with learning disabilities and autism, will lead an interactive session on the importance of self-advocacy.
10.50am - Beautiful Advocacy. Kate Mercer will discuss how we can incorporate beauty into our advocacy practice, offering it as a remedy to the challenges posed by broken systems.
11.30am - Breaking the Circles of Fear. Anthony Salla, an academic specializing in mental health, race, and advocacy, will conclude the morning with insights from Frank Keating's report "Breaking the Circles of Fear." He will explore the intersectional dilemma of racialized stigma in mental health and the advocate's role in promoting justice and standing against racism.
12.00pm - Lunch
1.00pm - Interactive roundtable discussions, featuring intimate conversations around topics. Facilitators will set the scene with a 10-minute introduction before opening the floor for 20 minutes of discussion.
3.00pm - Comfort break
3.30pm - Shaping the Future of Advocacy Together, Dr. Felix Davies will lead the closing session, sharing updates from the Advocacy Network on ethical commissioning and improving access to advocacy. This will be followed by a Q&A session where you can contribute to shaping the future of advocacy.
4.30pm - Goodbyes and safe journey home
Programme
Interactive Roundtable discussions - Full descriptions. You will choose 3
#1 - Hate Crime Advocacy. Jane Kingston. Learn about a proven advocacy delivery model that offers real solutions to social injustice, discrimination and hate crime. This successful service is now in its ninth year: join to take away ideas from their research-based model to campaign for advocacy support from your local Police and Crime Commissioner.
#2 - Commissioning and delivery high quality advocacy services. Dr Felix Davies Join Felix as he explores three key questions: 1) what are the most important things we should measure in advocacy? 2) what are the key quality standards we should hold in advocacy services and 3) what works in creating positive relationships with commissioners?
#3 - Understand Resistance to Care. Luke Tanner. Join advocate and author Luke Tanner for a focused discussion on the complex experience of "resistance to care." Explore the non-verbal and relational dynamics that shape consent to touch, and reflect on your role in challenging simplistic or pathologising interpretations of people’s responses to care.
#4 - Beautifully Human Advocacy Practice. Gail Petty. Join Gail for a moment of sharing observations and examples of ‘beautiful advocacy’ practice – when we’re focused on supporting people as time efficiently as possible, how can we continue to embed advocacy principles, celebrate humanity and focus on our advocacy practice.
#5 - Boundary Bootcamp. Saying Yes to Yourself. Tony Bamforth This is a highly practical, interactive session focused on the essential self-care skill of boundary setting specific to the challenges faced by Advocates (blurred lines, high client need, emotional demands).
#6 - Culturally Appropriate Advocacy: Linking Lived Experience to Systemic Change. Urjaa Chudasama. This session explores issues like how microaggressions affect advocacy partners and how we can respond with culturally appropriate advocacy - both practically in one-to-one support and through broader, big-picture approaches.
The following sessions are brought to you from our legal colleagues at Irwin Mitchell
#7 - Bringing repeated s21A challenges. Saoirse de Bont. Saoirse will facilitate a workshop considering whether to bring a fresh s21A application when there have been prior s21A challenges on behalf of P. She will consider the legal framework and provide insight from her own cases, and those of her colleagues
#8 - Reducing packages of care. When is this okay? Eleanor Swain
Eleanor will discuss social care package reductions and the current issues and how to challenge. She will also discuss CHC packages and related issues.
#9 - Supporting young people transitioning from children's to adult's services. Ryan Westwell Attend this session for an opportunity to explore key changes and law around a young person’s entitlement to social care, EHCP’s and the role of mental capacity upon turning 18.
#10 - Decisions about Serious Medical Treatments. Liz Davis A discussion about serious medical treatment cases in the Court of Protection with a focus on situations where medical treatment may be refused because of P’s needs and presumed inability to cope with the treatment/ aftercare.
#11 - Supporting people to access Mental Health Tribunals. Rebekah Sambrooks Rebekah will lead a discussion regarding supporting people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 to access tribunals, including supporting people who are said to lack capacity to make an application to the tribunal, the tribunal process and when and how the Court of Protection could become involved.
#12 - Hospital Discharge - the law and difficulties faced in practice. Heleng Ingleson, Chloe Moran Helen and Chloe will facilitate a discussion around the practical and legal problems arising during hospital discharge and share ideas on how to overcome them.